STATE WORKERS VOW TO FIGHT ELECTION FRAUD AND VIOLENCE, LAUNCH ‘KAWANI KONTRA-DAYA’

Submitted by courage_phil on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 00:16.

Government employees today officially
launched Kawani Kontra-Daya,’ an
election watchdog composed not only of union leaders but also of middle
managers, who vowed to expose and oppose any scheme to derail the people’s will
for a clean and honest election in May. They also introduced their hotline
number wherein government employees and other concerned individuals can report
cases of election fraud and violence.

 

In a press conference held in Quezon
City, the convenors of Kawani Kontra-Daya
said that state workers are in a strategic position to uncover and expose any
government-initiated scheme to advance the political ambitions of a few
individuals. “We cannot afford to remain silent amidst massive cheating. As
public servants, we have the duty to divulge any anomalies to the Filipino people
even if it means risking our jobs and lives,” expressed the group’s
spokesperson and a lawyer from the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO), Atty. Glenn
Romano.

 

Meanwhile COURAGE National President
Ferdinand Gaite scoffed at Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who last December cautioned
government employees against engaging in partisan politics while she herself
has a notorious record of dipping her hands on public funds to bankroll her
2004 presidential bid. The P729 Fertilizer Scam and the illegal use of OFW
money from OWWA to distribute free Philhealth cards in 2004 are among the
issues that up to now hound Mrs. Arroyo. She is once against faced with
allegations of wasting people’s money on ‘legacy ads’ to promote her candidacy
as representative of the 2^nd District of Pampanga come May 2010
elections.

 

Gaite pointed out that what is more
unfortunate is that lowly-paid employees are forcibly mobilized to campaign for
administration bets. However, he urged his colleagues in the bureaucracy to
bravely stand up against all form of coercion from the Arroyo government to be
utilized as her and her cohorts’ campaign machinery.

 

Romano expressed that Kawani Kontra-Daya will provide
assistance to employees who will be harassed or worse illegally dismissed just
because they go against the marching order to support the Arroyo
administration’s political campaign.

 

He mentioned that among the immediate
activities of Kawani Kontra-Daya will
be geared towards the consolidation of public awareness on the possible
scenarios of election fraud and the concrete actions to prevent these. He added
that they will also schedule a trooping to the National Printing Office (NPO) to
scrutinize the ballot printing as part of their Balota Watch campaign.

 

“All the data that we can get,
including those gathered through our hotline number, will be summarized in a
form of an election primer. This will serve as a guide in the future voters’
education discussions that we shall conduct,” ended Romano. #